Qatar coach Belmadi plays psychologist to lift beaten team

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DPA ©

Qatar's head coach Djamel Belmadi

 Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi has said he has worked on
lifting his players following a heavy Asian Cup defeat to the United
Arab Emirates and is demanding improvement against Iran on Thursday.
"This is the main job to do after this game, to work more
psychologically than something else," Belmadi told a media conference
Wednesday.
"Of course we had to analyse what happened in this game and to
correct it. But I know this group that I have, I trust them and I
know that we are able to change the things in order to do much
better."
Qatar went in front against the UAE before being swept away by wave
after wave of attacks and eventually succumbing to a 4-1 defeat.
But with Iran on a high after starting their own Group C campaign
with victory over Bahrain, Belmadi expects another hard contest.
"It will be a decisive game against a known team used to reaching the
World Cup," he said. "This was reflected in three strong games at the
World Cup in Brazil.
"So we're prepared and we know it will be a tough game but we're also
used to playing against teams that are stronger on paper like Morocco
and Australia."